Danish consumer group finds design flaw in iBook G4

After an investigation, Denmark's Consumer Complaints Board says it has found evidence that a design flaw in Apple's iBook G4 caused the notebooks to stop working after about a year of use.

Forbrug.dk

The board's investigation found that turning the laptop on or off over time causes a solder joint to loosen and eventually separate, preventing current from flowing through the joint. Owners of Apple's iBook G4s had complained about system problems, and even filed a class-action suit to advance their claims, but Apple has not admitted to any sort of design flaw with the systems. The Macbook--with Intel's processors--replaced the iBook last year.

Given the new findings, however, the board has settled several claims on behalf of Danish customers of Apple International, it said. Its investigation could have an effect on other iBook G4 customers who have experienced similar problems, but an Apple representative declined to comment on the report.

A copy of the report can be found on the board's Web site. A lot of the site is written in Danish, but there is an English copy of the report and photos of the test setup.